The Film Mississippi Masala - Book Report/Review Example

?Mississippi Masala INTRODUCTION Mississippi Masala appeared before its viewers in the year 1992 and stole the hearts of the millions in and beyond America for its exuberant presentation of sensitive theme of cross-cultural marriages in the United States with a hue of romantic comedy. Mira Nair has always been pioneer in presenting serious issues of society. However, the presentation of the film Mississippi Masala not only displayed the complexity of a life of an immigrant but also showed a few of the brighter sides of the lives of millions of immigrants in America who co-habit peacefully with each other and share a common space of warmth, love and empathy amid themselves. Starring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury, the film is based on the backdrop of rural Mississippi set in the time span of 1972 and projects a love relationship between African Americans and Indian Americans. The elements of cross-cultural and interracial relations in America which are deep-rooted in the culture and demography of the United States find profound expression in the film. The film was based upon the excellent screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala and the performance of Roshan Seth as a supporting cast was really commendable. Amid all the technicalities associated with the film, the cinematography and the music of the film hold a special value and provide an extra mileage to the film. The impeccable cinematography of the film was executed by Edward Lachman and the classical Indian music punched with the jazz and fast beats of modern equipment made the music of the film a complete fusion of the eastern and western flavor. Moreover, the indelible effort behind the music was implemented by L. Subramaniam (Canby, “Mississippi Masala (1991)”). The film Mississippi Masala displays a magnificently drawn aesthetic piece of camera work which projects a grave societal theme pertaining to the United States through an excellent saga of romance between two young minds and the subtle intricacies of immigrant lives in the United States with a brighter notion. MISSISSIPPI MASALA A SAGA OF DESPERATION AND DESIRE Mira Nair as a director is sensible and has always upheld issues in her cinema that are very much seminal of contemporary problems. Enforced migration had been one of the very serious social issues of seventies in African countries. The post independence era in African countries was dominated largely by fascist leaders who threw out many people belonging to a particular community or ethnicity from the African countries. As a result of this politically vulnerable situation, many people migrated to the greatest shelter for immigrants into the world, the United States of America. On the contrary, United States has always faced compelling challenges and has undergone tough situations regarding the handling of the immigration issues. The plot of the film, “Mississippi Masala” had projected this problem and flux in the life of the forced immigrants from the African countries to America through the compelling love story of the hero and heroine of the film, Demetrius and Mina as they fall in love with each other and spend their day in courtship (Canby, “Mississippi Masala (1991)”). The film begins at the backdrop of 1972. This was the time when Idi Amin threw away Asians from Uganda. In the film, among the destitute was Jay, played by Roshan Seth, his wife Kinnu played by Sharmila Tagore and their only daughter Mina played by Sarita Choudhury. These families as portrayed in the film are viewed as third generation Ugandan Indians who were residing in Kampala. The time frame of the film next oscillates to 1990, where it is shown that after spending a few years in London the family moves to Greenwood in Mississippi in the year 1987. They migrate to live with a family who is the owners of a chain of motels in Greenwood. This family as depicted in the film is another Indian immigrant family who has their separate story of desire, despair and struggle (Canby, “Mississippi Masala (1991)”). Eventually, Kinnu finds a work at the liquor shop for herself and Mina starts working at the motel for the extended family she has there in Monte Cristo. And, at this juncture of the plot enters the black chic handsome hero of the film, Demetrius played by versatile Denzel Washington. Demetrius is an African American carpet cleaner who is self-employed and falls in love with Mina during his often visit at the motel. Their love grows and the couple becomes more and more engrossed in each other. The trouble pops up in the film when the pair was discovered at Biloxi spending their weekend pleasure in secretive way. The two families indulge into a brawl and a mild physical assault to each other when they could not come to terms with the relationship the pair was sharing between themselves being racially so different (Canby, “Mississippi Masala (1991)”). The inter-racial marriage and relationship which has become a commonplace phenomenon now in the United States amid the immigrants as well was not such a piece of a cake affair during the outset of the 90s even. The couple had to flee to the states for surviving and they fled in the Demetrius’ van. After a short escapade, they had to struggle a long way to establish their love and their relation. The film ends with a note of hope where Jay was likely to return to Kampala to attend a court case in order to release his confiscated house at Kampala and his long sorted after dream to return to Kampala gets fulfilled. Moreover, he is able to find solace to his aching heart of returning to a land which he considers as his home. The pang of immigrants, their desires and their dreams which remain unfulfilled in their life give rise to a vacuum. And, this fact is quite sensibly portrayed in the film “Mississippi Masala” by Mira Nair. The constant transition of culture and society leads to the identity crisis of the immigrants which gets reflected through the dialogues and attitudes of the family of Jay who seeks a home throughout the film. One has to comprehend the fact that home in the film does not connote to the buildings where people are taking refuge to sustain their lives. Home in the film refers to a root, a land and a sense of belongingness. After spending three generations in Kampala, when the family of Jay gets thrown away from the land where they belonged, it is shown in the film that they have set themselves into a quest for their home, their shelter, their culture and a root of their own identity which finally ends with a ray of hope in the film when Jay finds a chance for himself to visit Kampala for a court proceeding. The similar crisis and sense of rootless paradigm evokes through the relation shown in the film, “Mississippi Masala” when culturally confused Mina indulges into an affair with an African American and faces a big trouble. The interracial marriage is strongly opposed by the family of Mina and her extended family, but contrary to the opposition in the film is the real situation where the family itself is suffering through a racial crisis and is not sure of their identity, nation or actual root of their race either. Cultural identity crisis finds a profound expression in the film, “Mississippi Masala”. The struggle the pair i.e. Mina and Demetrius undergoes in sanctifying their relation is indicative of the fact that more than the racial differences between the couples there evolves a space where the pang of immigration and all the crises related to that disturb their profundity of true and selfless love which they had to strive hard to achieve lastly in the film. The couples Mina and Demetrius are an icon who celebrates their love irrespective of the differences they share entirely. Mina and Demetrius annoy the family of Mina mostly for their secretive escaped for weekend pleasure. Spending days or living in with the date during the phase of courtship or before the legal and social sanctity of marriage is quite sinful in respect of the conservative Indian social system. Nonetheless, the message which Nair wants to convey through the film is the actual crisis of identity a person suffers due to a transitory life. Mina was born to an immigrant Indian family in Africa, thrown out from Kampala, they spent few years in London and then to seek a better life they come to align themselves with the American Dream, to the land of the United States. However finally culturally and identically drained out, Mina is not sure of her customs or decorum and gives herself to the ways of living in the west which becomes more conflicting with the family values or tradition. CONCLUSION The film, “Mississippi Masala” is an all encompassing film that endeavors and caters on myriad dimension of immigration and various societal problems that evolve out of this immigration. However, more than the potent consequences of immigration upon the life of Mina are the latent effects of the immigration and her identity crisis which stand as the obstacle on the way of her affair. However, the film, “Mississippi Masala” ends with a positive note where the sign of finding a solace only through the surrender at one’s root is hinted at along with the crisis resolution in the life of Mina and Demetrius where they find and celebrate their love and a selfless relation with each other. Work Cited Canby, Vincent. Mississippi Masala (1991). 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Read More